Month / February 2020

by Nicolle

We need to hear more success stories after layoffs

Transitions like this are difficult as the impact is felt by teammates, colleagues, and friends we have known and partnered with through ups and downs. For those who will be leaving, we thank you for your many contributions to Expedia Group and wish you safe travels as you find your next opportunity.

Expedia cuts 3,000 jobs, including 500 at new Seattle HQ

As I read the statement above from Expedia I couldn’t help but wonder if layoffs are just the new normal now. While that statement has obviously been through the corporate PR wash machine, it sounds exactly like what flight attendants say as you leave the plane. “Thank you for flying with us today. If you’re continuing on your journey here at JFK, we wish you safe travels.” Maybe that’s intentional; it’s a travel company after all.

The statement is really an acknowledgement that all jobs are temporary anyway and that we shouldn’t don’t get too comfortable.

Layoffs suck. There’s no denying that. The numbers appear as blips in our feed as we scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, which makes it easy to ignore. But layoffs are emotional affairs by those who are hit by it. People who are laid off feel shame, sometimes embarrassment, and of course, anger.

But given how frequent layoffs are occurring, and how company layoffs are now applauded as part of a business getting it’s shit in order, we need to change the narrative on layoffs.

There should be no shame in getting laid off. If you’ve been laid off, it’s not always your fault. Its the companies fault for not having their business in line or adapting to the new work realities. It’s their fault for not caring about their employees enough.

Companies continue to talk about employer loyalty without addressing that there isn’t any loyalty to employees. It’s rare to find a company who is loyal to their employees.

The Google alert I have set up for news about layoffs

As workers, we need to be proactive in our new world of work. We need to always keep in the back of our heads that we may be part of a future layoff. And that means thinking about your work in a totally different way.

I’ve got a new podcast episode that talks about the reality of layoffs. In it, my guest covers how to be proactive in your career and expect the unexpected:

How to bounce back after a layoff to come back even stronger

We’re talking about:

  • How she felt after her first layoff and how it differed from her third lay off
  • How she prepared for
  • How she because a Salesforce power house thanks to her proactive approach post-layoff
  • How to answer the question “Why did you leave your last job?” after a layoff

Kelly’s story is part of the success stories after layoff that you rarely hear about. And with layoffs feeling like the new norm, we need a lot more of these.

by Nicolle

If you work in higher education you need to push back against facial recognition on campus. Here’s how.

Beyond being abused, there are many ways for this technology to fail. Among the most pressing are misidentifications that can lead to false arrest and accusations. … Mistaken identity is more than an inconvenience and can lead to grave consequences.

Joy Buolamwini, “Coded Bias”: New Film Looks at Fight Against Racial Bias in Facial Recognition & AI Technology

tl;dr: Support students and alumni on March 2, a day of action against facial recognition on campus. 

If facial recognition technology is being used on your campus, would you know about it? If it is being used, do you know how it’s impacting the communities you serve?

It’s easy to check out when you hear about facial recognition technology. The term still conjure up images of Minority Report or more recently, thoughts of China. Facial recognition use in every day life feels kind of far off if you’re not working in AI or security industry spaces.

But I’m asking you to check in. Because facial recognition technology is being deployed rapidly here in the US with little to no oversight into how it’s used or who it impacts. Facial recognition technology is being used in school districts, in churches, in restaurants, in grocery and retail stores, in job interviews, in the workplace, in public housing, on flights and cruises, and by police departments.

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by Nicolle

The brutality of data-driven management

“We’re not treated as human beings, we’re not even treated as robots. We’re treated as part of the data stream.”

If you’ve followed the news about Amazon warehouse workers, you know what they’re up against. High rates of injury. No time off for sickness or death of loved ones. Fear of taking bathroom breaks because it may wreck their productivity numbers. Constant tracking and surveillance (and maybe being fired by robots?)

If you’re working in a cozy office, it’s easy to ignore the plight of Amazon warehouse workers and scroll right past their stories in your feed.

So I encourage you to watch this short clip from Frontline, not just so you understand what happens behind the scenes when you click on that purchase button. I want you to see how Amazon is shaping our workplaces.

This focus on data-driven management and efficiency over people won’t be limited to Amazon in the future. Amazon is a leader in everything they do. When they experiment with data-driven management and efficiency and it works, others will follow. From the video:

“Amazon is the cutting edge. Other warehouses are starting to adopt these technologies. Other companies are starting to do what Amazon is doing. Data collection can become the standard for all workers. You’re never good enough. You’re never able to keep up.”

Data-driven management mixed with workplace surveillance creates a brutal work environment. This shouldn’t be what we’re building for the future of work.

I don’t know what the solution is. Listen to these stories. Support unions. Don’t order Prime (or order it less). If you’re in tech, don’t use your talents to work for Amazon.

These workers don’t deserve this. This isn’t the future of work we deserve. We have the power to change it.

by Nicolle

Podcast rec: The Quantified Worker and Worker Surveillance with Ifeoma Ajunwa

Just dropping this magnificent podcast episode off here.

Ifeoma Ajunwa, the author of the upcoming book, the Quantified Worker, goes pretty deep on automated hiring systems, and how humans encode bias into AI-powered hiring systems. She shares examples of how hiring platforms powered by AI are problematic and the impact on job seekers:

“A lot of hiring systems make use of machine learning algorithms. Algorithms are basically a step by step process for solving any known problem. What you have is a defined set of inputs and you’re hoping to get a defined set of outputs like hire, don’t hire, or in between. When you have machine learning algorithms, it kind of makes it murkier. You have a defined set of inputs, but the algorithm itself is learning. So the algorithm itself is actually creating new algorithms, which you are not defining. The algorithm is learning to how you react from the choices it gives you. It creates new algorithms from that. It can become murky in terms of discerning what attributes the algorithm is defining as important because it’s constantly changing.”

Plus, she covers how employers spy on their workers. This is a must listen for anyone curious about AI in the workplace.

Follow her @iajunwa.